GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS HOUSTON ROCKETS L i v e STREAM
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS HOUSTON ROCKETS L i v e STREAM
↓ Link Watch ::: Server unlimited access ↓
Link FHD ::: Link HD ::: Link SD
GAME 3: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS HOUSTON ROCKETS L i v e STREAM
WARRIORS VS ROCKETS LIVE LINK 1
WARRIORS VS ROCKETS LIVE LINK 2
WARRIORS VS ROCKETS LIVE LINK 3
----
We know the Rockets are hunting Stephen Curry.
That is not novel, and not something to do just because Curry is
recovering from another ill-timed knee injury. The Cavaliers mastered
this. It is a way to exhaust Curry -- and the Rockets want to bump and
grind both Curry and Klay Thompson -- and poke at the only player in the Hamptons 5 who is not at least borderline All-Defense level when engaged.
(By the way: I don't love the Hamptons 5 nickname, but it appears to have won the day.)
When James Harden
calls Curry's man up for a screen, he foists an untenable choice onto
the Warriors: Switch Curry onto Harden, or have him lunge to cut Harden
off, temporarily placing two defenders on Harden and leaving the back
line of the defense vulnerable.
Subtly brilliant thing there (and on many similar plays): Clint Capela,
the lone non-3-point shooter who saw any minutes for Houston in Game 2,
plants himself along the right side of the rim. Harden slices down the
left side, opposite Capela. That setup creates more space between the
two -- making it tougher for Draymond Green to effectively guard both of them at once. It also opens a cleaner angle for a lob pass.
It's
easy to say the Warriors should try harder to avoid the switch, but the
Rockets are not passive recipients of Golden State's choices. They are
forcing the Warriors into that switch. Trevor Ariza,
forever underappreciated glue guy and Curry's most frequent hiding
spot, will screen for Harden two and even three times -- as often as it
takes until he pries enough separation for Golden State to surrender. Eric Gordon, another Curry hiding place, is a canny and physical screener.
And the defenders involved -- Green and Andre Iguodala -- rotate back even as that pass is still on Ariza's fingertips.
Of
course, Houston has some answers for this too. The Rockets can add
stress by bumping up the shooting quotient and replacing either Tucker
or Capela with Gordon. After experimenting with some wacky stuff in Game
1 -- Ryan Anderson and Gerald Green
together, notably -- Houston landed on a nice balance of defense and
shooting in Game 2. (For the record: I didn't think it was insane to try
Anderson and Green when Curry and Kevin Durant sat together -- even though I didn't expect
Anderson to play non-garbage minutes. That is the time to tilt the
shooting-versus-defense equation more toward shooting. It became clear
right way that Anderson-Green was a step too far, and Mike D'Antoni
adjusted.)
The Rockets already have played Harden, Chris Paul,
and Gordon 23 minutes together in two games, and they might dare to
send that trio out longer in Game 3. They have limited the time any
three of Ariza, Tucker, Luc Mbah a Moute and Capela/Nene Hilario
play together almost entirely to the stints of the starting lineup --
which includes Tucker, Ariza, and Capela. They benched Mbah a Moute in
the second half of Game 2 and played him and Tucker together just six
minutes in Game 1.
More shooting makes extreme help rotations riskier.
The
Warriors have experimented with a third counter to Houston's Curry
hunting: switching Curry off of his man the moment that player starts
moving toward Harden.
Houston can puncture that gambit, too. They can call up new screeners
until Curry has no choice but to participate, though that drains the
shot clock. They can set up the floor so that no Rocket clutters the
pathway between Curry and Harden.
More promisingly: They can bait
Golden State into that switch and exploit the holes that pop open as it
is in motion. Gerald Green almost did that randomly in the clip above.
His intent is to screen for Harden. The Warriors respond by having Kevon Looney
slide away from Capela and onto Green. When Green and Capela
crisscross, Green flashes open; Capela transforms into an accidental
pindown screener. Harden appears to be the only one who sees the
opportunity.
